Anchorage Wedding Photographers
Wedding at Bird Point, Alaska
Britny + Evan
Anchorage, Alaska
A destination wedding in Alaska is a once-in-a-lifetime event. Not just for the couple getting married, but for a wedding photographer as well. Add in the fact that I am also borderline-addicted to travel and the outdoors, and an Alaskan destination wedding is pretty much my holy grail for wedding photography. After all, Alaska is considered one of the last true wilderness frontiers in the world. Between the sheer size of the state and it’s isolation from everything else, the difficulty involved with traveling (both within the state and to the state)…It really does feel like a completely different world. It is a state full of abundant wildlife, rugged mountains, and incredible scenery. So it makes perfect sense why Britny and Evan chose this untamed paradise for their destination wedding.
Britny and Evan are what I would consider an adventurous couple. Between mountain biking, hiking, kayaking, and rock climbing, they are not afraid of a challenge. And that is one thing that no one ever tells you about destination weddings – They are a challenge. People always think that destination weddings are easier to plan than a normal one, but in most cases it is exactly the opposite. The fact that it was a smaller wedding with fewer details is offset by the fact that everything needed to be planned from 4,000 miles away. You can’t check up on things as easily, you can’t visit a location to see what it looks like beforehand, and everything becomes more difficult to plan out. The reality is that a destination is no walk in the park in a beautiful paradise like the photos make it seem. But as in most things, the ends justify the means.
But despite the difficulties with planning a wedding in such a remote location, the end results were the same as any other: A beautiful celebration for two people that are a perfect match for each other. The only thing that changes is the backdrop. And I have to say, their choice in backdrop was as perfect as anything I have ever seen for such an adventurous couple beginning their new lives together. And isn’t that what is truly important here? I think so…and I hope you do too after looking through some of my favorites below.
At the core, a destination wedding is not much different from any other. Just like everything else, the bride has to begin by getting ready, a process I always like to stick around for a capture. Luckily this process isn’t quite as involved as with larger weddings, and soon we were on our way to more interesting things.
After a quick 40 minute limo ride down the only road out of Anchorage, we arrived at their chosen wedding ceremony location: Bird Point. Despite being close to the highway, bird point is actually a small portion of the much larger Bird Point area of Chugach State Park outside of Anchorage. Bird Point was an excellent choice for Briny and Evan’s destination wedding. Located overlooking the picturesque Turnagain Arm, it is a place that embodies everything about Alaska. Beautiful snow capped mountains, scenic waterways, and a view that is priceless for an Alaskan wedding. And of course the weather turned out perfectly. So perfectly, it didn’t even feel like we were in Alaska. A sunny 70 degrees, and just enough clouds to make things interesting…it felt a little like the beginning of Fall back home. The weather has been unseasonably warm up here lately, even for August. But unseasonably warm in Alaska really feels like a paradise…they could not have picked a better day for their wedding.
After a limo ride back into Anchorage and a quick dinner break, we set back out to enjoy the scenery. Britny and Evan had found an interesting area outside Bird Point that they wanted to explore a little bit, and I was happy to follow them. It turned out to be one of the best views I have ever seen, and the perfect setting for the two of them to relax and enjoy their first moments together as a married couple. In Alaska at this time of year (August), sunset usually isn’t until 10:30pm, which created a very different and unique experience for their couple’s photos. I am no stranger to photographing after sunset, but I usually need additional lighting and gear for it. But not out here…The sky remained bright enough to photograph until after 11pm! I felt like a kid in a candy store. 4000 miles away from home, sharing a beautiful evening in an incredibly scenic location with a perfect couple just beginning their new journey together. There is nothing else I would rather spend my time doing.
And there you have it! I hope you enjoyed looking through Britny and Evan’s Alaska destination wedding at Bird Point. I know they will have a lifetime of happiness in their future together!